


They Told Us Our Dreams Would Outlive Us

by MauveCat



Series: Family Snapshots [1]
Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel)
Genre: Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23985154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MauveCat/pseuds/MauveCat
Summary: The title is from "Distant Sky" by Nick Cave
Series: Family Snapshots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1729411
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	They Told Us Our Dreams Would Outlive Us

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from "Distant Sky" by Nick Cave

“ _Most men unconsciously judge the world from themselves, and it will be very generally found that those who sneer habitually at human nature, and affect to despise it, are among its worst and least pleasant samples.” – Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby_

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Aleister glanced at his buzzing phone, noted the incoming number, and then looked back at his computer. It was the middle of the day, after all, and it wasn't unreasonable to assume that he might be busy. He could return the call later; in an hour or two he would need a break from the reports his new crew chief kept sending about the upcoming demolition of the Celestial. He'd already sent in workers to clear all of the guest rooms and all of the hotel staff's quarters, and they'd recovered and catalogued as much personal property as they could for return to the owners. Now they were ready to move in heavy equipment to take down the building itself. Fortunately, he could use Rourke International's fleet of cargo ships to transport the machinery back and forth to La Huerta. Of course, all the debris would have to be removed the same way....

The phone buzzed again. Aleister kept his eyes on his screen, and he allowed himself a small smile when the phone fell silent. There was so much to do; he'd barely started to plan for rescuing the Celestial's guests from suspended animation. He'd need to at least triple the medical personnel already on staff, and make arrangements for hospital ships – could they be rented? It might be easier to take some of those freighters, actually, and equip them with as much medical technology as possible – and then, of course, he'd have to arrange for any necessary physical therapy. And then there was the potential need for long-term care –

He jumped as his screen flickered and went black. It didn't seem to have lost power – and even if it had, the backup should have kicked in. CTRL-ALT-DEL didn't do anything, so what...?

Then Zahra's scowling face filled the screen. She held up a sheaf of papers and rattled them. “Care to explain this, Al?”

Aleister blinked; he was sure he'd disabled his webcam. “Did you just hack me?”

“Please. Amateurs 'hack.' Then again, looks like your IT department is run by amateurs – you call that a firewall? And don't change the subject.”

“I wouldn't dream of it. I like your new haircut, by the way. It suits you.”

“Yeah, well....” Zahra ran her hand through her short dark hair, now in a pixie cut. “It got kind of ragged on the island and I couldn't get it back to the way I wanted, so – I said, don't change the subject!”

“I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about.” Without a word, Zahra held up the papers again and ostentatiously pointed to the Hartfeld College logo in the top corner. “Ah. I'm surprised you received that already. I didn't think the postal service would be so efficient.”

“It came this morning.” Without breaking eye contact with Aleister, she raised her voice. “Turns out that Craig got his yesterday but he didn't bother to tell me.”

“Hey!” Craig's voice came faintly through the speaker. “I didn't know what it was. I get a lot of letters I don't open!”

“Noted. The next time I mail you something, Mr. Hsiao, shall I address it to Zahra to make sure you see it?”

“Probably safer that way. We're at the same address now, anyway.” Craig's voice faded as he apparently left the room and Aleister controlled his smile when he saw Zahra's eyes following him. He would have to tell Grace that she had been correct; she had been sure that Craig and Zahra were living together.

“I would hope that Craig planned on opening the letter before classes start in September.” Aleister picked up his mug and took a sip... cold. Of course. He couldn't understand how some people endured cold tea, let alone enjoyed it.

“Knowing him? Probably not. He figures if it's good news he'll find out sooner or later and if it's bad news... well, he'll find out sooner or later.” Zahra smirked but she couldn't hide the affection in her voice. “And you're still trying to change the subject, Al. Who do you think you are, paying off all our student loans?”

Craig came into view as he scooted a chair next to Zahra's. “Don't forget prepaying our tuition for next year,” he said as he passed a can to Zahra. “Thanks, man!”

Glaring, Zahra accepted the beer. “I'm trying to yell at Al. Stop sounding so happy with the... the situation. I mean, I never asked for a handout.”

Aleister shrugged and busied himself with the documents in front of him. “This was nothing like charity, Zahra. It seemed only fair for me to help everyone out, considering that all of you lost an entire year of college because of my father.”

“Well... yeah. I know Michelle is taking a couple of classes this spring but the rest of us are just sitting this one out. I mean, since we missed all of the fall semester and the beginning of this one, it'd be hard – wait a minute. Everyone?” Zahra narrowed her eyes. “What did you mean by 'all of you'? Did all of us get the same letter?”

“Of course not!” Aleister started rearranging his pens. “For one thing, Jake's not in college and he doesn't have student loans.”

Craig grinned. “He sent me a text last week. Pretty sweet new plane he's got.” Cold or not, Aleister found drinking his tea preferable to finding an answer. “Sweet new gig, too.”

“Yes. Well. Rourke International is undergoing a... restructuring. I found myself in need of several new pilots and since his legal issues have been resolved, Jake found himself in need of a job. It made sense.”

“Uh-huh.” Zahra's skepticism was impossible to miss. “What about Grace? And Estela? Are they getting everything covered too?”

“Oh, Grace's mother is a billionaire, remember? She never had loans to begin with. And Estela... is family, even if she's not sure yet how she feels about that. She has full access to all of the Rourke assets.”

Craig's face grew serious. “How's she doing?”

Aleister thought about deflecting, but only for a moment. “Not well, I'm afraid. She went with me to La Huerta. She said she wanted to help me make preparations for dismantling what our father did there but it was... difficult for her. She's gone back to San Trobida to spend time with her uncle. We talk several times a week, and I know Grace is in contact with her too.”

“Yeah.” Zahra sighed. “I've been texting her – even got her to video chat with me and Raj and Quinn once – but I can tell she's not doing good. Can't say I'm surprised.”

“Indeed.” Aleister's eyes fell on the pile of legal documents on the corner of his desk. “She's in a lot of pain at the moment. I'd like to help her but we're still getting to know one another and she isn't quite ready to open up to me yet. I suppose I understand. After all, her entire world has been turned upside down and... I am who I am.”

“She'll get there, Al. So will you.”

Aleister blinked back tears at the unexpected kindness in Craig's voice and he had to clear his throat before he could speak. “I hope you're right.”

“Al? You okay over there?” Zahra leaned forward, clearly concerned.

Aleister took a few seconds to collect his thoughts; then, gathering his courage, he plunged ahead. “You know that I spent most of my childhood wanting to please my father. Then I wanted to bring him down, but when I finally had the opportunity, I... failed. Now that I've been given a second chance, I don't intend to squander it. It's been –” He took a deep breath. “It's been difficult to accept that I was never more than a tool to him. At first I simply wanted to destroy everything he stood for, but now... now, I think the best way forward is to use his considerable assets to undo the considerable harm he's done. Not just to me and Estela, but to all of you. And the world at large, for that matter.” More briskly, he went on. “The arrogant arse made me his heir because he assumed I'd always do his bidding and now he's in no position to disinherit me. Allowing me to spend his money on my friends is an additional poke in his eye, if nothing else.”

“Listen to that, Z. We'll be helping Al out if we take the money.”

Zahra snorted. “Fiiiine. If it'll make you two idiots happy.” But her eyes were soft as she said it.

“It will,” Aleister said. He hesitated, and then continued. “And you should all be expecting another letter in the next few days. My father's lawyers are requesting depositions for his upcoming trial. I'm sending everyone the names of some highly-regarded law firms; I don't want any of you going into this without legal counsel. And before you say anything, Zahra, I'm paying for that as well.”

“Geez, just when we think we're finished with all of this, we keep running into new bullshit, don't we?” Zahra sighed. “Okay, Al, we'll be in touch.”

“Soon, I hope. Oh, and Zahra?”

She paused in the act of disconnecting the video call and stared into the monitor with only a trace of suspicion. “Yeah?”

“If you want a summer job, perhaps you could stop by RI and put the fear of God into my IT department.”

Craig grinned. “Depends. What's the paycheck look like?”

“Shut up, scrublord. I'll be in touch, Al.” The screen went black, but only for a few moments. Then a soft blue glow filled the monitor, resolving itself into a woman's face.

In spite of himself, Aleister smiled. “Hello, Mother. I suppose you were listening in?”

“I'm afraid so, dear.” IRIS smiled kindly at him. “You should listen to Zahra. She found a way around our security systems much more easily than I expected.”

Aleister nodded thoughtfully. “I was wondering if you noticed her trying to get through.”

“Of course I did. I could have stopped her, but I know how she enjoys the process and I didn't see any harm in letting her have her fun. I'm glad you're staying in touch with your friends, and I'm grateful you have people to confide in.”

With a small smile, Aleister leaned back in his chair. “It's... nice. It makes it easier to get through everything else.” He sighed as he looked down at the papers again. “And speaking of everything else, I suppose I should get back to it.”

“Why don't you take some time off? I'm sure I can handle the rest of this.” In a flash, IRIS's face minimized to the corner of the screen as documents started opening. “Well, these are simply invoices that need to be approved and that won't take long. The resignation letters are ready to be sent out to the board of directors, and here... ah, yes. Here is the list of some possible replacements. I've already weeded out the ones with problematic ethical stances. I can have everything printed and ready any time you like. Why don't you get changed? Grace's flight is on time, so she should be here in a few hours.”

“Are you saying that I should be waiting for her up at the airport?”

Somehow, IRIS's pixilated face assumed a smugly innocent expression. “Are you saying that you weren't planning on it?”

Aleister grinned as he stood up. “You've got me. Thank you, Mother. I'll let you know before I leave.”

“I would appreciate that, dear.” The screen dimmed and the printer in the corner whirred to life, shooting out pages as Aleister left his office, humming under his breath. A few moments later, a soft orchestral version of the same tune came from the computer as IRIS busied herself with the paperwork.

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_"Family need not be defined merely as those with whom we share blood, but as those for whom we would give our blood." - Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby_

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Aleister's comfort reading begins and ends with Charles Dickens.  
> 2\. I have a bunch of ideas for what happened to the Catalysts between the fall of the Celestial and the five-year reunion. They're not going to be written or posted in chronological order but I hope they won't be too confusing.


End file.
